Serialised book (with a progressively updated >>dashboard/ToC<< page). Part II: Philosophy of the Life Instinct

Book: Philosophy of Life Instinct: Chapter 13: Emotional Wisdom

Thinking and feeling together

(Ideally, Chapter 12 should be read before this chapter, as it lays out the origins and functions of our emotions and surveys the important ones.)

I could have called this chapter 'Emotional Intelligence', but intelligence can be misused and has been by humans. Wisdom, on the other hand, is about doing things that are good for everyone.

Emotional intelligence is the ability to accurately identify, understand and manage our own emotions and those of the people around us in the immediate and long term. It is emotional wisdom when we consciously ensure that the ability delivers positive outcomes for everyone based on morals and ethics.

(Morality and ethics are explored deeply in Chapters 23 and 24. Here we will assume we understand them sufficiently for our purposes. The reader may also read or return to this chapter after reading those chapters, if required.)

(The phrase 'emotional intelligence can imply that emotions can be intelligent, which is not the case, as emotions do not function independently. They are states of mind reflecting external conditions and used by our brain's management processes to decide actions. So the phrase truly means 'intelligence about emotions'. A similar problem arises with the phrase 'emotional wisdom'. So let us carefully note that we do not mean emotions can be wise but 'wisdom about emotions'. I tossed around with this as the title and operative phrase, but it is hard to read. So I settled on 'emotional wisdom'. In reality, our brain's overall method needs to be intelligent and wise about information, emotions, analysis, decisions, and learning.)

So we will examine how we can be wise about emotions. It is a fabulous capability Life Instinct has delivered in us for us. It pays handsome dividends if we apply ourselves to it.

The need to manage our emotions

We saw in Chapter 12 how if the brain is an engine, emotions are its fuel. But if we can explain every feeling through its purpose, are we essentially a machine?

Although it may seem so, there are two reasons we are not entirely rule-bound and predictable. We have examined the first reason — our Free Will — in Chapter 6. The other reason is the sheer complexity of our minds and their interactions with the world, as we saw in Chapters 9 and 12. For an external observer, this is evident as substantial unpredictability of our state and behaviour. There is also a good measure of internal unpredictability we see when we observe ourselves. The Life Instinct wants this because it improves our life form more rapidly than a rigid system would. It is why this complexity and variability have survived, and indeed we have thrived with it.

One direct effect of this freedom and variability is that we make mistakes, from which we have the innate impulse to learn and adjust so we survive, reproduce and propagate more of our best genes. We repeat this process several times over our lives, making small and large errors and learning from them.

In effect, our decisions and their results make us learn. We do not have a choice to ignore them and stay static. How much we improve determines our personal genome's success and that of the species because we all affect each other. Emotional wisdom is a powerful ingredient in this process of continuous improvement.

How does our mind manage our emotions?

Chapter 9 examined our intellect in terms of its autonomic, awareness, and philosophical parts, focusing on its rational functioning. However, our emotional states are distinct from our rational intelligence. To varying degrees, both capabilities exist in our brain's three major parts, the brain stem, the mid-brain, and the cortex. Our analytical processes and emotional states complement each other and work together for Life Instinct.

The mind has developed a regulatory mechanism to manage its emotion-driven activities. It comes down powerfully from our brain's highest reaches, which we have called the philosophical mind. What we called the 'aware mind' supports it.

The Prefrontal Cortex, or the PFC, the regulator of our thoughts, actions, and emotions, is connected to the Amygdala and Hippocampus in the lower brain that deals with creating the Autonomous and Aware emotional states we examined in Chapter 12. The Amygdala and Hippocampus launch motor actions to deal with the situations causing emotional states.

The PFC has specialised regions for controlling specific types of emotions and behaviours. The four main regions are summarised below. They are interconnected to work together.

• The ventromedial PFC (VMPFC) has extensive connections with lower brain structures such as the amygdala and the hypothalamus and regulates emotional responses.
• The dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC) is connected to sensory and motor cortices and regulates attention, thought, and action.
• The right inferior PFC (rIPFC) is specialised for inhibiting inappropriate motor responses.
• The dorsomedial PFC (DMPFC) performs mistake monitoring and reality testing.

Let us see an example of these systems working together to manage an autonomous emotional state — fear: A woman out for a walk sees an unleashed ferocious dog approaching. The signal goes from the eyes to the Thalamus and then the Amygdala, which uses memory to create the fear emotion. It then activates the Hypothalamus, which signals the Pituitary gland to release hormones that trigger the Adrenal gland to release Cortisol. Cortisol is the stress hormone that activates the motor systems to fight or flee. However, a signal also travels from the Amygdala and Hypothalamus to the PFC. The PFC starts analysing the information and emotional state and uses different memories and guidelines to check if there is a better move than fighting the dangerous dog or fleeing and potentially being overtaken by it and attacked. It decides that there is and sends signals to make her appear calm, turn sideways to the dog, look away, cross her arms, and go still. The dog slows down and loses interest in her. It illustrates how we apply greater intelligence if our PFC is strong enough, and we give it enough time (admittedly, big 'ifs').

Here is another example of managing an aware emotional state — empathy: A man sees from afar his young son playing alone with his football in the yard. The boy tries a reverse kick but misses the ball and falls flat on his back. The information travels from the man's eyes to the right Supramarginal Gyrus, or RSG, which creates a feeling of empathy in his mind. It then sends signals to his mid-brain to activate motor systems that will rush him to help his son, who may be hurt. However, the information also goes to his PFC. It analyses it and decides that his son is old enough, tough enough, the fall does not look bad, and it is better he does not rush to him as he will know his father saw him fall and feel ashamed of his clumsiness. So, the PFC countermands the mid-brain and brain stem activity, and the man just watches his son resume playing. It is an example of emotional wisdom in action.

The picture below illustrates the example of our brain's emotional guidance areas managing a state of fear.

So, the PFC's controlling hand ensures we don't have the option of letting our thinking or emotions run wild. The Life Instinct has not only equipped us with the ability to self-manage our thoughts, beliefs, and actions but made it an inherent activity in us. Among ordinary people, even the least self-controlled of us are far from letting their emotions work in a pristine and unmoderated way. Our brain does not work like that.

But can we improve on what we are born with? Is our brain not genetically set at birth and limited to what nature has endowed it? We answered with an emphatic 'no' in Chapter 9 by noting its plasticity and ability to change with external and internal moulding. It applies mainly to the higher reaches of the brain, the Cortex, and the PFC.

Applying the ability to improve our minds is an imperative responsibility in fulfilling the Life Instinct's aims.

Ways to improve emotional wisdom

Being intelligent about emotions is not easy, let alone being wise about them. Our waking mind is an ongoing turmoil of activity, from the basic to the profound. It needs to do its work while observing and regulating itself. Its data changes continuously, and the brain has trillions of possible states in its combination of regions, connections, and communications. Throw in the possibility of change into the mix, and it is a wonder we attempt any control of this maelstrom.

But we do attempt it, unconsciously and consciously. Here we will try to create a framework that may provide a modicum of a method to this madness.

We become good at most things through three phases — A. Preparation, B. Action, and C. Learning. We can adapt this for emotional wisdom too.

A. Preparation

We can prepare for the practice by studying emotional psychology and strengthening specific intellectual and emotional capabilities.

A.1 Study

There are many books and courses on emotional intelligence. We can significantly improve our lives by using their insights and examples. Many of them provide practical emotion improvement guidelines, but we can form our own through observation and learning, as it is a complicated subject and quite situational.

It has been observed that inculcating positive emotional traits in children makes a significant difference in their adult skills and success. We should start ourselves and our children as early as possible on it in life.

Broad general knowledge, curiosity, and reading improve us in all ways. But some areas of study contribute directly and powerfully to our emotional skills. We examine the key ones briefly below.

• Psychology — It provides the intimate inside knowledge of what makes us tick. Study it as well as you can as a layperson through reading, talks, and discussion. There are quite a few easy-to-read books on the subject. Those that cover how genetics and upbringing affect our emotions are particularly useful. The lab to check out the learning is immediately at hand — ourselves and the people around us.
• Sociology — Understanding the forces at work on us as communal animals is essential knowledge for emotional wisdom. If you find the right material, it is not at all a dry subject.
• Philosophy — I need not elaborate on why the ideas of philosophy and metaphysics are the highest ennoblers of our imperfect selves. This book is an ode to it. If formal or informal familiarity with philosophy does not make us better, nothing can. Its study is mandatory for you, my reader.
• Science — The rational intellect is the protagonist in the battle for emotional wisdom. Studying science makes our higher minds insightful, clear-eyed, fast, and consistent.
• Know-ourself —Finally, the most crucial field of study is ourselves. We need to observe ourselves regularly, under different conditions, and with diverse people. Books on self-improvement, influence, etc., are very effective here. We should look at our frequent mental states, why we have them, and how they affect us and others. If we do it honestly, deeply, fearlessly, and accompanied by insights from the formal studies above, it will form the bedrock of our emotional wisdom. Self-knowledge is mandatory.

A.2 Strengthen our noble emotions

Some vital traits in us can be robust foundations for emotional wisdom. Let us examine the two major ones — A philosophical mindset and spirituality.

Philosophical State of Mind

If we are not morally and ethically sound, we cannot have emotional wisdom, even if we manage to have emotional intelligence. Even the best person needs calmness, reflective strength, and self-control to make the best of life.

Spending time in a philosophical state of mind gives the advanced part of our brain, especially the PFC, the time and exercise required to become stronger. We need to pause from our incessant daily activity for periods in neutral states of mind in which we can reflect on life, our behaviour and motivations, and those of our family and friends. It solidifies the foundation of our morality and embracing of ethical conduct.

During such purposeful mental interludes, our higher mind can recall emotional events, find patterns, consider their meanings, drivers, and ways to avoid poor choices and encourage good ones. It requires quiet time alone, doing nothing but contemplating. But with practice, it can become something we intersperse between mundane tasks or run continuously in the background of our mind. Whatever the mode, there is no magic pill other than the will and discipline to practice this. In time, these philosophical states of mind strengthen the traits that lift us to emotional wisdom.

Spirituality

Spirituality's meaning has changed with time. Currently, we can think of it as a subjective emotional state where we consider our and existence's ultimate meanings and values. It may be mixed with a sense of awe for something transcendent and sacred, which may or may not be religious. It makes us feel small and part of a whole that includes everyone. It takes away the feeling of separateness and ego and engenders humility and empathy.

When we are in a spiritual state of mind, we find it hard to refuse to help anyone. We are also more forgiving.

The quest for spirituality is not limited to the religious. The popularity of nature getaways, retreats, forest bathing, tea ceremonies, returning to farming or a simpler life, etc., is increasing. Spirituality can overlap with mindfulness, stillness, meditation, and so on that calm our frenetic minds. More such ways will undoubtedly arise in time to fill our need for spiritual contentment. To partake of them pays rich dividends for emotional wisdom.

A.3 Weaken our base emotions

There are several negative yet necessary emotions, as we examined in Chapter 12. In excess, they strongly disrupt our emotional wisdom. We cannot study all of them here, but we will look at a couple of major ones — anger and egotism, and how to keep them at bay. The reader can examine others, such as envy, anger, and hatred, along similar lines.

Anger

Egoism is a focus and preoccupation with oneself, self-interest, and a lack of compulsion to help others, but it is not harmful. Egotism is a feeling of being special and better than others characterised by excessive talking about oneself.

Given that Life Instinct wants us to win out individually first and foremost, it needs us to have a strong sense of separateness, self-worth, and self-interest. The existence of the ego is a result of this need. For most of us, the ego is a significant part of our mental makeup. It can sometimes be so strong that it is challenging to subdue even when we know that we are too sensitive, defensive, arrogant, argumentative or vengeful.

The ego's healthy expression happens at the mid-point between feeling worthless and overweening pride. We need to consciously observe if we are prone to excesses of our ego and whether it creates problems for us or our circle of humans. The signs are easy to spot if we are looking. When we observe that we are straying from a moderate and healthy egotism, we can let the upper parts of our minds attenuate it to healthy levels, nearer the line between arrogance and self-respect. It is also right to stand up for oneself, not get bullied and intimidated, and have the self-assurance to speak our minds when necessary. Without this moderation to the neutral middle, our mind is not free to deliver emotional wisdom.

A.4 Techniques to strengthen the higher mind

Several practices are known to make us calmer, less reactive, tolerant, and more empathetic. They strengthen our emotional and intellectual philosophical minds.

Meditation

There is substantial evidence of meditation's ability to increase the strength and duration of our philosophical mind-states. It is a practice that is at least thousands of years old, and its forms have existed in all civilisations and cultures. If one intends to increase one's emotional intelligence and wisdom, meditation is a powerful tool one should use and hone daily.

In its practice, we empty our mind of thoughts while sitting on our heels with the calves beneath the thighs, closing our eyes, focusing on our breathing or a fixed visualised point for several minutes. Our prefrontal cortex, the seat of wisdom, becomes stronger as it asserts control over itself, the midbrain, and the lower brain when we meditate regularly.

Mindfulness

To be mindful is to make our mind attend entirely to the present — where one is, what one is doing, observing without reaction or judgment the sounds, sights, smells, and activity going on around us. Like meditation, it makes the observant and insightful part of our brain strong. We can watch our mind at work and how it reflects on our faces and in our bodies. Are we frowning? Are we feeling a strain in the body? Can we smile and relax all our muscles? It reduces stress and creates a feeling of calmness, curiosity, interest, and joy in simply existing. We observe our mind at work, how the senses are sending information that we are registering. It slows down the limbic, autonomous, and reactive parts of our minds. By being present in the present rather than the future or the past, one lets go of preconceptions, assumptions, judgments, attitudes, and other mental baggage — at least for some time. In practice, in a way, it is the opposite of meditation, which is like 'mindemptyness'.

Meditation is like taking the mind to an empty room and seeing nothing; mindfulness is like taking it to a garden and seeing everything. Both share the benefits of being in the moment. They exercise the prefrontal cortex, our highest brain, to control itself and the rest of the mind.

Mindfulness has a lasting effect. It helps us become aware of our mental activity and gain more control over our brain's automatic activities by strengthening our PFC.

Friends and a social life

We have to be in it to win it, to use a commonplace phrase. There's no better arena to bring out our best emotional skills than in our circle of friends. For a social life form, as we humans are, few things can be as life-supporting as to bond with others closely. We know that friendship is one of the oldest and deepest instincts from our species' unrecorded yet clear memories. In the field of emotional wisdom, friendship affords three facilities — safe subjects for study, strengthening of positive and neutral emotional states, and a trial room. It works for our friends and us. Sure, it sounds rather utilitarian, but much of Life Instinct is like that. If the ends are good, any positive means to it are unobjectionable. And if we become socially adept, we will soon be more immersed in enjoying ourselves than busy in the detached practice of emotion management.

A.5 Understanding the factors that affect our emotional states

We are not all alike, and we change with time. Many existential realities affect us emotionally. Let's consider a few briefly — age, social milieu, health, education, profession, victimhood, and gender.

Age

The emotions of children, pubescent young, adolescents, mature adults, and the aged have significant differences. There are far too many variations to consider in a single chapter of a book covering a vast territory of Life Instinct. But we cannot emphasise enough that without studying stage-of-life related emotional differences formally or informally, we will not get far in our attempts for emotional wisdom. We will consider one of the aspects — old age — and leave the rest of this subject for a separate study.

We can continue to learn throughout our lives. However, there is no denying our intellectual and emotional abilities can decline in the last decade or two if we live long lives. We need to have more patience and expect less from ourselves and those close to us when in that phase of life. Our concentration, strength, stability, resilience, and sensory sharpness may reduce. Feelings of irrelevance, dependence, and despondency can creep in. If we live with or look after someone of advanced years, we need to recognise these natural and inevitable emotions. Their lives can still enrich ours if we are willing to take the trouble. Every generation needs to increase its understanding and patience in the emotional wisdom required for the aged.

Social environment— We are affected a lot by the society we grow up or live in. Their cultural, economic, and political forces shape our ideas, thoughts, and behaviour. How much this happens depends on the country, religion, freedoms, development, and other social conditions that may vary over a lifetime or generations. Some cultures may encourage more expressiveness of specific emotions and others less. War and displacement create emotional trauma and long-lasting issues of which we should be aware.

How much effect there is of nurture vs nature on emotions is an area of ongoing study. When we interact substantially with someone from a different social milieu, we must take the time to understand what drives the person's feelings, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviour.

Whatever the society, no one anywhere is significantly restricted from developing emotional intelligence and wisdom as the mind is free to think what it wants privately. Neither is anyone been cut off from knowledge except in a couple of countries. For over a century, every human has had access to books and information about how people live, behave and think worldwide.

Health

Like the effects of age, when we are injured or sick, our emotions are affected. We may become fearful, angry, sad, or just numb. Recognising these changes in ourselves is challenging but crucial to managing our feelings and making it easier for those around us. It also helps us heal faster.

In turn, if we are tending the sick, it is worth learning the emotional aspects, particularly from those who have such experience.

Education and profession

The mental makeup of a professor is likely to differ from that of a high-school graduate to someone just literate. In the same vein, a manager, welder and cellist could have different states of mind in the same situation. We know this, but often we assume everyone must feel and think like us and alike. It is emotional wisdom to consider how a person's education and work affect behaviour, attitude, and emotions and consider them in our interactions.

Victims of crime and discrimination; Offenders

Those who have been victims of crime can be affected negatively for a long time. Feelings of fear, rage, guilt, helplessness and depression can become a part of their mental makeup. Similar, albeit subtler, effects can be present in victims of systematic or persistent discrimination. If we interact with someone who has suffered from either, we need to know the background and consult an expert until we are adept at it.

The psychology of criminal offenders is a specialised field of study. It is beyond the scope of this book to do justice to it. We should note that offenders can be as intelligent as anyone else and come in as great a variety. Shallow assumptions are likely to restrict our emotional wisdom with them.

Gender

There are differences in the minds of men and women. There's nothing wrong with being different. It is natural, interesting, and a source of pleasure. The difference is not inequality. But we need to understand the distinctions in emotion we have as males and females and include them in our study, practice, and emotional wisdom learning.

Through parents and community, social conditioning can cause differences in the expression of the same underlying emotions. But there are sufficient studies that show how brain structure and hormonal variations between the sexes underlie differences in the way women and men emotionally relate to and handle a situation.

Women's emotions can also vary with childbirth, menstrual cycles, and menopause. Those close to them may be affected by some of their feelings, empathetically or reactively. They loop back in interactions too, and we have to learn to manage it.

We cannot fully explore gender-specific emotions here, but it is a significant subject, and the reader must study it separately. In general, being observant and thoughtful about specific feelings and how to manage them best will help in this regard as with every other.

(The emotions of transgender people can also be particular to them. Further, the effect of sexual orientation on emotional profiles is a worthwhile field of study beyond this chapter. )

B. Action

Temperament is not forever. We become what we do, feel and think. Correct behaviour repeated enough becomes the right attitude. Controlling our emotions or their effects is not easy. It explains the common phrase, 'Do as I say, don't do as I do'. It is much easier to know what is right than to do what is right. But we must try. The earlier and younger we start practising emotional wisdom, the more adept we become at it, and the deeper it percolates into our psyche.

We can consider our higher mind's emotional wisdom actions in four broad steps — Observe, think, feel, and act.

B.1 Observe — The intellectual mind observes its Autonomous, Aware and Philosophical state and that of others around us in a social situation. The more it maintains continuous private noticing, the more opportunities and success it has with emotional balance.

B.2 Think — The intellectual mind thinks by comparing combinations of its and other persons' states to known ones in memory. If it finds a match or something close, it recalls past actions and outcomes to build on them. If it is a new situation, it analyses it afresh. Either way, it uses its highest analytical capabilities to choose the best action to address the situation, including no-action.

B.3 Feel — The emotional mind feels the emotion used for the action, whether kindness, gratitude, anger, forgiveness, or others.

B.4 Act — The intellectual and emotional minds together launch the 'wise' action via the cortex, midbrain, brain stem and peripheral motor nervous system. Then they observe the outcome to modify the activity, know when it is complete and file it in memory for reuse.

Cheat-sheet to allow emotional wisdom to act

When we manage a mental situation, a well-prepared philosophical mind comes into action, observes behaviour, surmises its and others' emotions, and attempts to do the best thing. But it needs time for this. In the future, we may evolve fast and widespread emotional intelligence. Meanwhile, we need to use some mind tricks to slow down its reactive side and give its higher part the time to act. Here are a few. The reader can extend this from personal experience.

1. Relax our face and body.
2. Count to ten.
3. Crack a mental joke.
4. Do the opposite of what we are feeling like doing.
5. Think of the good things about the person or situation.
6. Ask ourselves how it will matter in five years from now, or ten.
7. Change the subject.
8. Cause a distraction.
9. Promise ourselves a prize for not reacting poorly.
10. Think — 'What is being said is just sounds; no material harm is being done.'
11. Recall our own mistakes and what the other person had to put up with from us.
12. Question our interpretation.
13. Remember that soon we will all be dead, and none of this will matter.

C. Learning

We need to make a conscious attempt to learn from the outcomes of our attempts at emotional intelligence and wisdom. We can take mental or physical notes, write about them, or use any device that adds to our knowledge of emotion management patterns and guidelines. One may also use the framework of this chapter to add the learning into different areas.

As we wind down this chapter, let us note that there are temptations and traps we need to avoid when dealing with others' emotions.

C.1 Avoiding Emotional Manipulation

Influence with intent becomes manipulation. We may become quite good at reading the emotions of our friends, family, and colleagues. We may also have a good understanding of the effects of our words, actions, and behaviours on their feelings. Assuming we are good people, we need to be alert to our motivations for altering others' feelings, moods, and behaviour. If we are doing it altruistically or for the benefit of both parties, it is ethical. If it is out of selfish or malicious motives, it is a misuse of emotional intelligence. We need to be observant and cease and desist if we discover our intentions are fundamentally immoral or unethical.

Even if our intentions are good, we should know that the psyche finds evident control by others distasteful. It is nicer to ask for something outright. It is also wiser to focus on our value, for it influences others better than thinking about bending their minds.

With emotional intelligence, we will also quickly spot if we are being manipulated and either stop it or let it go quietly.

C.2 Understanding the difference between emotional intelligence and emotional wisdom

We can have emotional intelligence, but we multiply the benefits by lifting our game to emotional wisdom. Here are a few examples of going up a level. Readers can together add hundreds more.

(Please note that there is an excellent benefit to both parties in each case, left unelaborated for brevity. The reader can take it as an interesting exercise to make it explicit.)

• Managing not to get angry quickly or often is emotional intelligence. Using anger effectively against a bully or injustice is emotional wisdom.
• Helping a friend in need is emotional intelligence. Making sure the friend does not become dependent on us is emotional wisdom.
• Cracking a joke to lighten a tense situation is emotional intelligence. Making sure it's not at anyone's expense is emotional wisdom.
• Being charitable to the needy is emotional intelligence. Doing it in a way that maintains their self-respect is emotional wisdom.
• A man correctly reading the signs from a woman he likes of her interest in him is emotional intelligence. If she is not, understanding why, backing off, and learning from it is emotional wisdom.
• Tolerating a bit of disrespect from someone is emotional intelligence. Pushing back when it goes over a line is emotional wisdom.
• Doing someone a favour or two is emotional intelligence. Stopping before you start resenting them is emotional wisdom.
• Maintaining mutual respect between spouses is emotional intelligence. Knowing and tolerating natural differences in interests and emotional expressiveness is emotional wisdom.
• Having consistent family rules for children between spouses is emotional intelligence. Alternating the scolding of wayward kids and both not piling on at the same time is emotional wisdom.
• Spontaneously helping a friend or colleague with our skills or knowledge is emotional intelligence. Not doing it so often that it makes them feel obligated or inadequate is emotional wisdom.
• Being patient while teaching an old parent a new skill is emotional intelligence. Sometimes just letting them do something silly they keep repeating is emotional wisdom.
• Observing the strengths and foibles of someone close and getting the best out of them is emotional intelligence. Not making them feel watched constantly is emotional wisdom.
• Being independent and self-sufficient is emotional intelligence. Showing those you love that you need and value them is emotional wisdom.
• Privately and consciously appreciating someone we love is emotional intelligence. Expressing and showing our love is emotional wisdom.
• Guessing possible reasons for someone's hurtful action is emotional intelligence. Acting by the kindest interpretation is emotional wisdom.
• Knowing when someone is manipulating us is emotional intelligence. Allowing it quietly if it is good overall is emotional wisdom.
• Applying the results of meditation, mindfulness and other practices to do better for others and not to become self-centred is wisdom.
• Practising emotional wisdom with thought is emotional intelligence, but practising it along with feeling is genuine emotional wisdom.

Conclusions

Life is one feeling after another, alone and with others. Imagine how much better our lives would be, the happiness we would have and spread if we could judge, understand and maintain our mental states and interactions competently, or even expertly.

Yet, the scope of emotional wisdom is neither limited nor shallow. How we use our knowledge of mind or anything else ultimately affects our moral and material destiny. We daily behave nicely and poorly in small matters; a charismatic fanatic passionately incites a country and causes untold misery and millions of deaths; a beneficent leader inspires the race to new levels of freedom and enlightenment. Such is the power of emotional intelligence.

In our little way, we must help the agents of our mind, our emotions, make our life's journey pleasurable, and keep the ship of humanity heading in the right direction.

© 2020 Shashidhar Sastry. All rights reserved.

(As each chapter of the book is published, its link is updated in the ToC below.)

Table of Contents

Part I Metaphysics of The Life Instinct

Part II Philosophy of The Life Instinct

Part III The Life Instinct and The Future

Published By Shashidhar Sastry

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